Few flowers possess as diverse a range of varieties as snapdragons with over thirty cultivars.
From cut floral arrangements, stunning ground covers, to breathtaking garden displays, snapdragons have versatile flowers that cater to every occasion and every garden.
Legend and folklores assign the plants hidden meanings which is not often remembered.
Undoubtedly, there is more to the snapdragon plant than its appearance.
Here are some of the most bewitching types of snapdragon that most people may not know:
Frosted Flame Snapdragons
One of the most unique snapdragon plants must be Frosted Flames. Their leaves are ivory and cream while their blossoms can be pink, red, yellow and cream. Some cultivars bear bicolors too.
They reach about 18 inches in height making them ideal for potting or constructing borders in gardens.
Rocket Snapdragons
Sturdy and tall with stems reaching 36 inches, rocket snapdragons feature closely set florets in eight different colors. They also have superb resitance to heat.
Bright Butterfly Snapdragons
These bright butterflies thrive up to three feet tall forming clusters of open-faced flowers. To brighten your garden these come in seven astonishing shades.
Madame Butterfly Snapdragons
The ‘Madame’ variety is derived from a cross snapdragon fusion of rocket snapdragons and Bright Butterflies. Therefore, the flowers are semi closed to resemble an azalea form. The petals range in color from red, purple, pink, lavender, orange, yellow and even white.
Chandelier Snapdragons
As for the Chandelier Snapdradon varieties bushes that have leaves with flowers that grow outward expand to form beautiful green whirling spirals.
Flowers bloom outwards in smaller blossoms than other categories but equally stunning which helps these types flourish in hanging baskets.
Black Prince Snapdragons
The Black Prince variety which refers to deep red blooms trimmed with purple foliage is actually a moniker misnomer. Flovering stems measure 18 inches long thus prefers warmer area under direct sunlight and does best above 60F.
Competing with other botanical containers within the garden Black prince creates exquisite contrast.
La Bella Snapdragons
These are another butterfly variety which produces tightly packed open face white flowers exhibiting different hues. La Bella Snapdragon grows up to twenty inches producing fragrant blossom during spring until fall flowering season.
Chantilly Snapdragons
This trailing variety is great for hanging baskets thanks to the nearby shedding branches. Like all specimens of its sort it can grow vines to thirty or forty inches length while yielding lightly scented blossoms that exhibit openness featuring gentle sinuses too.
They can be kept in your indoor garden, window box, or any other closed gardening space.
Royal Bride Snapdragons
The Royal Bride is a cultivar of the Castle snapdragon, sometimes seen in the gardens of old english cottages. It reaches 3 feet tall and bears fragrant white flowers with creamy undertones at the base.
Adding Royal Brides to your garden will certainly enhance its charm when cutting your flowers is equally delightful!
Liberty Classic Snapdragons
Liberty Classics exhibit the characteristic form of polished snadragons. they attain a height of 22 inches and bear large flowers in lavender, scarlet and bronze colors. In spite of their large blossoms, these plants are quite sturdy and can endure some wind.
Like Royal brides, they too make exquisite cutting flowers and even more wonderful gifts arranged in a posy.
Candy Shower Snapdragons
Candy Shower is a dwarf variety with an approximately 8 inch height and an 18 inch width. This growth habit makes them ideal for growing in pots or hanging baskets as well as in ground covers.
In addition to purple, these dwarf’s become available in red, yellow and white making colorful fillers as well.
Night and Day Snapdragons
Snapdragons Night and Day are like Black Prince, but they have lighter red petals with white jaws. Their height reaches 18 inches and they can spread up to two feet in width.
They serve as incredible focal features for your garden given their amazing proportions.
Aroma Series Snapdragons
These beautiful blooms are made of many distinct varieties that resemble each other. Aroma Series Snapdragons reach the height of about 30 inches. They include:
- French Vanilla
- Fresh Lemon
- Peach Breeze
- Magenta Mist
- Red Spice
Variations of Snapdragon Flowers
The snapdragon plant has two fundamental forms:
Summer Snapdragons (Angelonia angustifolia)
Known also as Angel Flower, these are short-lived herbaceous perennials found in USDA Zones 9-11. Their height ranges from 12 to 18 inches and flower with long spikes about eight inches tall.
Their lilac, purple, blue flowers bloom between early June to late September, often coupled with a sweet-smelling apple fragrance which adds to its charm.
Common Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
Though common snapdragons are most often cultivated as short-lived annuals, they may survive winters in USDA zones 7-10. This is only the case if they are sheltered and warmed planted in the southern or western parts of the garden.
These plants commonly known as Snapdragons have various forms which include;
- Tall varieties. These grow between 2.5 to 4 feet tall and are popularly used for cut flower production.
- Mid-size varieties. are between 15 and 30 inches tall. A good example is Liberty Snapdragon
- Dwarf varieties. range from 6 -15 inches with Tom Thumb and Floral Carpet being popular names.
Regardless of size, all types bear two lipped tubular flowers. In addition, SNAPDRAGON FLOWERS comes in a wide range of colors some even presenting bicolor blooms.
Last but not the least, agoode bloomers, flowering as early as April and sometimes continuing into winter.
Snapdragon Flowers According to Folklore
Snapdragon’s genus name “Antirrhinum” comes from the Greek words:
- anti, which means like, and
- rhin, which means nose or snout.
Put together, they mean “like a snout.” An apt description for the dragon mouth shape of the flower.
According to folklore, there are three true meanings of the snapdragon flower:
Strength
The snapdragon plant can grow in difficult areas such as rocks and barren hills which showcases its strength and resilience.The reason why snapdragons are offered to people is because they are undergoing a rough patch in life. This is seen as an encouragement gift.
Deviousness
In the olden times, snapdragon flowers were sent by lovers to express love and affection towards one another. As such, they stated that you would be in their thoughts regardless of how far apart you both were.
People used these flowers so much to ask for forgiveness from their loved ones, including wifes and girlfriend’s hence such plants became d known symbols of deception.
Grace
Snapdragons symbolize beauty arising from destruction or hard grounds despite adversities which adds to its grace which together with its resemblance to dragon add grace.
This explains why these flowers are gifted when someone wants deep respect and admiration especially those who earned it through hard work.
Snapdragon Meanings by Color
The snapdragon is available in several colors, which reflect certain symbolic meanings. The most notable meanings snapdragons colors are:
- Red: Romance, passion, and love.
- Orange: Passion and is believed to impart positive energy.
- Yellow: Optimism, happiness as well as good fortune.
- Purple: Royalty and spirituality
- White: Purity, grace, innocence as well as spirituality.